


The recluse and the runaway

by GaySquidBoy



Category: The Hobbit - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Happy Ending, M/M, Writer Bilbo, prince Thorin, recluse and introvert Bilbo, runaway Thorin
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-06-19
Updated: 2015-07-26
Packaged: 2018-04-05 04:24:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,762
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4165758
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GaySquidBoy/pseuds/GaySquidBoy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Prince Thorin, soon to be king, runs away from his problems only to find more.  But with luck on his side Thorin finds Bilbo, a introverted writer, who helps him in mores ways than one.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Thorin just couldn't take all of the pressure and responsibility his father, the king, was putting on him; hundreds of hours of ‘princely lessons’ were killing him: lessons on how to eat, how to speak, how to act. He could hardly have a second to himself, before another people came along to 'teach' him something new. He was able to muddle through all the tiring lessons until one day when he was practicing his sword fighting with his teacher Dawlin, one of the only lessons and teacher he actually liked, when he was dragged away by a prudish and plump man who said only that

"The king wishes to see you" not his father just the king, the coldness stung but he was use to it by now, having to have live with it most of his life.

He was instructed to sit at meeting table in front of a woman, who was introduced as princess Rudy, and her father, king Dravin, and his father the king of The Lonely Mountain, and a handful of advisers for both kings. Thorin knew that she was a princess even before she was introduced, he knew by her cloths and how she was sitting, and if he was sitting in front of a princess his age there was only one reason... MARRIAGE! When the delegation started talking about how they were going to unify the two countries and the best way to make peace would be to have the prince and princess marry. Thorin's face throughout all of the talking was stone cold and emotionless; he said about four words in total and mostly nodded when his father spoke. But inside he was panicking and freaking out, he had tried to occupy his brain by mapping out all of the exits and number of guards, his own men, and what he would have to do to escape. Throughout the entire meeting he was thinking about just standing up and running out the large metal and stone doors, he was fantasizing about just standing up and saying ‘let the kingdom be dammed’. After hours of the two kings and their advisers talking, everyone got up said their good-byes and headed to their private rooms to freshen up before dinner.

Thorin was thankful to be getting out of there but he walked with heavy feet slowly to the door, he opened to door and keep walking. He walked in till he knew he was far enough away for no one from the meeting would see him, then he ran. He ran to his room as fast and as hard as he could and then locked the door behind him. Breathing heavily he slid his back down the closed door, closing his eyes. 'Oh Allah what am I to do’ this will never work but still he plans. Then he looked up and gazed around his room the one he has lived in since his mother’s death. Every where he looked their were good and some bad memoirs, could he really do this, run away. Leave everything, even if it was just for a little bit. He had too, he couldn't think, couldn't breath in this place. His mother's death, the absence of his sister, the foreignness of his emotionless father, all of this was making him lose his mind. He stood up and packed. He packed mostly his plainer clothing so he wouldn't be giving so many second glances from people on the streets. He took a large bag of gold coins and gems that would get him everything he need for a somewhat long time; he then put a few precious things like his mother's ring into his bag. He then wrote a quick note to his father, saying that he couldn't take the pressure and that he was going away for a little bit and so on, he ended the note with just his name 'Thorin', feeling that ending it with 'love Thorin' would be insincere. He had once, when he was younger, he loved his father but now the same man how had once been his father was now just the king. After Thorin's mother, the queen, had died his father had closed off he never talked to Thorin anymore. But with his sister Dis being married off to the prince of IronFoot hill and living there, he felt like he has no one in his life he could fully trust. Thorin opened his third story window and climbed down the various vines, ledges, and crooks in the stone with practiced skill, when Thorin's mother had first died Thorin had locked himself in his room for two weeks and had climbed in and out of his window so he could go for walks without a guard following him.

After six minutes of climbing he jumped and his legs hit the solid ground, he was about to turn and walk but his reflexes took over and he dove under a nearly trimmed rose bush and not even two second later than he was hidden, a lantern light flashed over his head and a guard walked past right where he had been standing; 'so all of the fighting lessons come in handy after all' Thorin thought cheekily. After a few more close encounters with other guards he made it out the back gates that the servants use.      

He headed to the horse barn using only walkways with deep shadows for him to hide in. He untied his favorite horse, a very large and fully black mare named Soot, he saddled her with the plainest leather saddle he could find, although it still had some gold patterning to it. He lead the horse out of the barn, Thorin took a moment to lean his head on her neck and take a deep breath of the horse smell, it reminded him of all the times he had hidden in the horse barn so that the nobles won't find him. He jumped onto her back and rode into the night hard and fast. He knew he was running away form his problems but he couldn't think straight in that castle, in that claustrophobic mountain full of expectations and rules.

He rode and continued riding into the black night with no plans of stopping anytime soon. The morning sun was rising when he heard running water; he got off Soot and walked her over to the small stream. Thorin could see that the mare was tired so he sat down in the soft grass against a tree and pulled out an apple for his horse and some bread and cheese for himself, when he was packing he had thrown into his bag not thinking, but at this moment he was very grateful that he had because even though he had been to upset last night to be hungry he was really feeling the lack of food in his system this morning taking into account he felt before dinner. Thorin was starring up at blue sky watching the wispy clouds pass, and then the next things he knew he was being jolted awake by a very loud and scared horse whinny. Thorin was confused by waking up because he didn't remember falling asleep, but his confusion was pushed to the side as he hear another pained whinny from just past the river.

'My horse!' he thought and in two seconds he was up and running, jumping over the small stream and then bursting though some brushes into a small clearing to see his horse standing with her front legs high in the air.  She whinnies again and Thorin could see the extreme panic in her dark brown eyes.  He then saw what the cause such fear: two green skinned orcs.  Thorin must have made a far amount of noise trying to find his horse because the orcs had hear him over the whinnying.  The bigger of the two growled something in orcish to the smaller one and then pointed to Thorin, then the smaller one charged at him it’s ax raised to slice his head off. But before the ax could hit it’s mark Thorin dropped to the ground and kicked out the orc’s legs from under him. The small green orc had then fell right on top of this double-sided ax, killing him by cutting his own skull almost clean in half.

Thorin was shocked and couldn’t seem to bring his eyes away from the pooling blood around the orc’s head, but at a pained whinny from Soot had his eyes shoot up to see the still living orc cutting the straps of Soot’s satchel; but while cutting the thick leather with jagged and dirty-looking orcish knife it slipped and cut deep into the mare’s side.

“You beast, get your disgusting hands away from her!” Thorin cried at the orc. The orc turned at the sound of Thorin’s shouts but upon seeing the other orc dead on the ground he ripped the gold incrusted satchel and ran into the woods. At the last pull, on her satchel, from the orc Soot bolted from the clearing in the opposite direction of the orc.

Thorin ran after Soot, but even with a wound Soot was much faster than his simple two legs; although after five minutes Thorin broke through a thick bush to see his horse standing near an old looking shed. One look at Soot and Thorin could see that the knife wound was much worst that he had initially thought. He ran to her and put his hands up to her face to calm her wild mind, after whispering softly and petting her neck and face, for what felt like hours, Thorin looked around and took in his surrounds. It looked like he was in someone’s backyard; from the looks of it was a yard in the middle of the woods. Then he spotted it, a small horse barn with the door slightly open. He walked Soot over to the open barn and though ‘now is not the time to be polite’ and pushed it open to see dry hay and horse feed; the barn had three stables but only one had a horse so Thorin put Soot in the one farthest away from the other horse not knowing if they were friendly or not. The other horse was small, almost a pony, its fur was a light chestnut color and unlike Soot’s carefully brayed and cut mane and tail this other horse looked very natural with its shaggy mane.

The blood had stopped flowing and was starting to clot at the opening of the wound, he looked around for anything to treat Soot with, but there was nothing but some old cleaning rags. After checking the door on the stable Thorin left the barn in hopes of finding the shed’s owner and their house; along with medical supplies for Soot. As he looked across the large open space of green grass and trimmed garden he saw a strange hill with a chimney coming out the top along side a large oak tree, but the strangest part was the round green door.  


	2. chapter 2

There was a loud and heavy-handed knock on Bilbo’s door, during second supper, which shocked Bilbo into almost dropping his soup bowl upon the floor. The number of times someone has knocked on Bilbo’s door could be counted on his two hands easily, he was an introvert by nature and a recluse by choice. He panicked when he went to the door and snuck a peek out the round window and saw a rugged, breaded, to-die-for-handsomely young man standing on his door step looking like he had seen better days if his bloody hands were anything to go off of. Bilbo had a hard time talking to people and after both his parents died he stopped trying altogether; he grows his own food and what he couldn’t grow he bought from the Gamgee like a middle man for the markets, and then their was Gandalf, his editor and a very strange man indeed.

It’s not every day a totally random stranger shows up on the Baggins’s doorstep; Bilbo didn’t know what was proper edict for this situation, should he invite the stranger inside? Should Bilbo ask for the man’s name first and then after gives his? But before anymore fretting could be done the knock came again even louder and faster than before, this must be very important if this man was so insentient. Before any more loud knocks could be hammered out, Bilbo with a shaky voice said

“H-hello this is the Baggins residents, w-w-what can I do for you” thinking after that he must have sounded very feeble and his voice had squeaked at the ‘e’ in hello. Then a fast and loud and very deep and manly voice answered

“I, Thorin Oakenshield, was riding in the woods but then I got attacked by fearsome orcs and while I am unscathed, my horse has been gravely wounded. She is in your barn at the moment, and while I am sorry for imposing on your house and time I really need help” Thorin keeps talking about how he could pay him back for any medicine had but Bilbo wasn’t even at the door let alone listening, he was running into his washroom and gathering anything he thought might be of help to a hurt horse. Bilbo didn’t even know how the mare was hurt so he graded everything; Bilbo loved animals, he got along with them better than humans, they didn’t judge or say mean thing they just sat and listening, so he would be dammed if he let one die on his watch.  

Thorin was standing in front of the door still pleading his case when the door flew open to revel a short, young man with curly blond hair and stormy eyes, a button nose and cutely pink cheeks who wasn’t wearing shoes and was the most adorable person Thorin had ever seen; it left his mouth agape; he was even more shocked when the blond rushed past him as he headed towards the horse barn.

They got inside the barn and spot Soot breathing heavily and leaning against the wall of the stall Thorin had left her in; Bilbo could see that the wound was a long jagged cut on her right side, it looked bad but he hoped it wasn’t too deep. He quickly got to work, silently he cleaned and then sewed the wound up, he put ointments and even rapped Soot’s whole chest in gazes to be on the safe side. He did all of this with Thorin’s eyes boring two large holes into his back, but no matter his feelings on the matter of the strange, very hot, man he had to save the sweet horse. And sweet she was, Bilbo didn’t have any powerful painkillers that he would have liked to give to her but Soot didn’t buck as he worked she did occasionally whinnying in pain, which was completely understandable because the nineteen inch wound took thirty-seven stiches altogether.

Bilbo made sure that both Soot and his own smaller horse, Bluebell, both had plenty of food, water, and dry hay in their stalls. After what felt like hours of working in the barn Bilbo finally turns towards Thorin, readying himself for the conversation that was most certainty going to happen. Bilbo was greeted instead with Thorin’s peaceful sleeping face, his eyes were closed and his long dark eyelashes fluttered on his cheekbones like spider legs. Thorin is very hansom, and Bilbo doesn’t know what to do with that information, he’s never though much on the topic of relationships and whatnot, but one thing he does know is that he would like to finish his cup of tea and his probably cold supper. But there was in no way in hell Bilbo was going to wake the sleeping man; every time he opened his mouth to say something nothing came out, and just the though of shaking his shoulder was scarier than the orcs that cut Soot.

It had been a longish while since Bilbo had started starring awkwardly watching Thorin sleep, and the fear slowly changed into a since of calm. The adrenaline that had rushed through his veins as he worked on the horse was long gone, leaving him more tired than before, maybe Thorin had the right idea about sleeping. After a few more minutes Bilbo’s inner questioning about ‘how Thorin’s hair was so long and why it looked so soft?’ was interrupted by Thorin himself, his eyes slowly opened and he blinked the sleep from them.

The second he saw Bilbo standing over him he jolted up obviously started; Bilbo felt bad about startling the just woken man but not knowing what to say he ended up just saying a signal word

“Tea?” by Thorin’s confused face he relised the message had not been conveyed correctly so he tired again this time thinking about what he was saying a bit more

“W-would you like tea, also I should think I would be comfier inside and not on the floor, so ummm would you like to come inside..?” ok maybe he hadn’t though about what he was saying after all. Bilbo could feel his face turning red, brighter than his tomatoes. Without warning Thorin stood up from his sitting position which caused him to tower over Bilbo and in turn that causes Bilbo to jerk back; it was now Thorin turn to feel bad for making the other man start. But instead of saying his apologies or something to start a conversation he said very matter of factly.

“I like tea.” he sounded like an emotionally stunted potato, great. But to Thorin’s great surprise Bilbo started giggling that turned into him throwing his head back and laughing, deep and full. Thorin found that he really liked Bilbo’s smile, it fit his face much better than the worried scowl he had had on when he had first woke up.


	3. chapter 3

They sat in Bilbo’s cozy house in his soft armchairs, drinking warm sweet tea having finished their soup and fresh bread; it was the safest Thorin had felt since his mother had died. Both chairs that they sat in faced the fire instead of each other so that they didn’t have to stare at each other; but Thorin was finding not starring at Bilbo harder and harder by the second. Thorin wanted to watch as the fire light danced across the other man’s cherub face, he wanted to see as he tipped his head back slightly so as to drink his tea. Their silence was thick but not entirely awkward, Thorin didn’t feel the need to talk but he did want to know more about this stranger who had helped him and his horse then let him into his house. He broke the silence with his voice low and soft

“Master Baggins, if you don’t mind me asking, why is it that you live out here in the middle of the woods? I am quite happy you do though, because if not I fear what would have become of my horse.”

“Firstly Bilbo is just fine, none of this Master Baggins nonsense. And secondly I don’t mind you asking, I live out here because it has been my home for my whole life and if I’m completely honest it’s because I don’t find humans to be all that pleasant.” Thorin chuckled at that

“I’m sorry for being human then” Thorin replied with a smirk “but I think I understand your reasoning completely.”

“So is that why you were out ‘in the middle of the woods’ your animosity for our fellow humans? Or is their another reason?” Thorin looks over to Bilbo and stops himself because he was about to tell this complete stranger whom he really is. During his entire life he has learned that once someone finds out that he is the king-to-be they change how they act, what they say, and they all want something from him.

“Not all humans just certain ones, like my father and my tutors” He keeps he answer vague, for some reason he doesn’t want Bilbo to know and thus change like all of the others; it probably has something to do with his cute satin ringlets that fall onto his forehead when he throws his head back to laugh.

“So, I take it you don’t have a good relationship with your father?”

“Ya, you could say that, yet it’s more of the lack of relationship that is the problem. He doesn’t care about me as his living breathing son he only cares about the bloodline.”

“Oh Thorin, that’s horrid. How could any parent not care about their child?” Bilbo looks up at the picture frame sitting on top of his fireplace; it has a picture of a smiling young man and woman that could only be Bilbo’s parents.

“I would assume it’s quite easy, seeing as he does it effortlessly everyday since my mother died.” Thorin said this but regretted it after he saw how Bilbo’s cute face was twisted up with sympathy; he didn’t want to see that face he wanted more light-hearted laugher; he quickly added “But enough about my troubles, I ran away with the intentions of not talking or even thinking about my father.”

“Your right, no more morbid talk tonight“ Bilbo set his now empty teacup down and turned his upper body towards Thorin with a coy smile and continued “so lets talk about what you will be wanting for breakfast in the morning.” At that Thorin started to protest that he didn’t want to be a bother but Bilbo cut he off with a laugh. But upon realizing that his laughter could be taken the wrong way he quickly turned more sincere “I would like you to stay in one of my guest room, seeing as your horse is going to be here for awhile, and just so you know I love cooking so one extra mouth to cook for will be no trouble at all, in fact it will be my pleasure” he looked up at Thorin with doe eyes that melted the princes heart. Thorin glances away into the fire and nervously rubs at the back of his neck

“Well I guess I don’t really dislike anything, so whatever is fine”. Bilbo smiles and says ‘Good’ with a satisfied smile and as he got up from his chair and motions with his hands for Thorin to follow his lead and stand up too.

“Here I will show you around the house and then let you retire to bed if you want, I’m thinking it’s been a long day for you.” Bilbo walked Thorin though his house, showing him where the bathrooms were and where his study was, were Bilbo’s room was, and lastly the guest room Thorin would be staying in. The guest bedroom looked very much unused and no one had sleep in the bed for a very long time; its walls were lined with boxes full of books, there were piles of unboxed books as well.

“Oh my, I’m sorry about the mess; you see the only person that ever visits that might use this room is Gandalf, so I don’t clean it unless I know he is going to be staying.” Bilbo, still looking like he was fretting about the mess throughout the room, went over to the bed taking the blankets into his arms says over his shoulder “Let me get up freshly washed ones at least so I wouldn’t be a terrible host.” Thorin chuckles softly in amusement and reassures Bilbo that everything he does is very kind and that he is the perfect host for just not throwing him out the door the minute he walked inside. Once the new sheets were fitted and back on the bed Thorin barely had gotten undressed and under the covers before he was asleep and dead to the world.    

Thorin woke the next morning to the smell of cooking food; he takes his time and wakes up slowly, just laying prone with his eyes closed enjoying not having plans for the day, no royal meetings to attain, no papers to read and sign, no princess to marry. Thorin’s stomach grumbling cuts his day dreaming short, the idea of food being more tempting than sleeping in for any longer. He dressed and head to where he remembers the bathroom being.

Bilbo was just finishing the sausages he was cooking when he heard Thorin’s boots walking up be hide him, it was strange to think about wearing shoes; Bilbo almost never wore shoes, even when he left his house. Turning to face Thorin with the plate of freshly cooked meat his mouth went dry as his eyes traveled over Thorin’s body, he looked much different than he had the night before. He was wearing much less this morning, instead of a long sleeve dark grey shirt with his large fur cloak covering his body he had on a single blue shirt that stopped at the elbow. His hair was also pulled back and the braids he had had in the night before were taken out. He looked younger and much more at ease, his under-eye bags were still their but considerably lighter.

While eating Bilbo’s delicious food the two men make easy small talk, which was surprisingly not awkward for either of them, but only after Thorin was assured that his horse was doing much better this morning.

“It truly is a beautiful early spring, I wasn’t haven’t gotten outside much in the last months so my not so peaceful ride yesterday was posed a small shock when there was no snow on the ground.” Thorin says continuing the conversation smoothly; he surprised himself with how at ease he felt in the presence of this adorable and kind stranger.

“Very true indeed, I had been planning on getting a head start on my gardening, but seeing as you’re my guest I would hate to seem rude and ignore you by staying outside all day.” Bilbo then took a long sip of his tea thinking then his eyes light up “would you care to join me in my gardens” there was so much hope in his emerald eyes that Thorin did even dare to think about saying no.

Bilbo goes to the shed and Thorin helps him carry, fertilizer, shovels, and gloves, and anything else Bilbo deemed they needed. They garden and enjoy the beauty and sun. Thorin had never before been able to do things like this, and is absorbed by the simple pleasure, and joy it gives him when he sees the flowers and plants that he put their with his own two hands.

Bilbo tells Thorin to finish with the rocks in the new rose bed while he makes them lunch. He goes inside and Thorin can’t stop smiling when he sees through the window Bilbo sawing his hips slightly to the song he had been humming to himself for most of the morning.

They eat lunch under an oak tree and talk about plants and other mundane things that Bilbo enjoys, Thorin is mesmerized by how his face lights up when he talks about succulents or nursing birds back to health. Then in turn Thorin talks about how he loves sword fighting and his pet raven.

Bilbo asks why he has never gardened before he seems to enjoy it a lot, Thorin says that it is true he does like it a lot, but that his father would never permit it. Thorin looks down at the grass and doesn’t explain any further. But before the silence could become anything other than warm and easy he goes on to ask

“What about you, what do you do in these woods besides gardening and playing with wild animals” smiling at the image Thorin asks Bilbo

”Well I do some beekeeping… but my real job and passion is writing” the smaller man trails off and a light blush creeps up his neck and onto his cheeks. Bilbo has his hands in his lap playing with his napkin then without looking at Thorin’s face he says quietly “You could read some of my writing if you wanted to”. Thorin turned and looked up into Bilbo’s face and without hesitation replayed with

“I would love to” Bilbo’s smile is blinding in how beautiful it was, Thorin felt a smile of his own slit across his face as well, along with a light blush.

 


End file.
